


Untold Stories

by Bleedingrose19



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-22 23:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2525813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleedingrose19/pseuds/Bleedingrose19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla meets someone from her recent past, stirring old memories. How will this affect her fight against Mother?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Untold Stories

Laura was sleeping, finally. It had been a rough few days, what with Will’s perfidy, the Danny blowout, and the whole fungus-among-us fiasco almost destroying half the quad. Carmilla lounged languidly on her bed, just watching the younger woman sleep, thinking about how crazy her life had become since Laura came into the picture. At first, all she’d wanted to do is help this one escape, maybe send her running to a safe school instead of the crazy that is Silas, but now… she pushed that thought away. She knew what that road held, and although the fun may be fleeting it always led to heartache in the end. However, who’s to say this time…

A soft tap at the door, so quiet only Carmilla’s super-sonic hearing could pick up the quiet cadence of the knocks, banished all thoughts of what-might-be from her mind. Nobody knocked at her door, especially not the Ginger Squad, so who could this be? In seconds she’d crossed the short distance from the bed to the door. Cracking it open she peered out warily, every centuries-old sense on highest alert.

“And you would be…?” she murmured.

“It’s me….”

The words stopped the (metaphorical) blood in Carmilla’s veins. That was a voice she hadn’t heard in years, over 50 years, to be exact. The figure in the hallway stood partially in shadow, but some light glittered off short dirty-blonde hair, cascaded down over a leather biker’s jacket covering a white tank top, and petered out over her white-washed blue jeans tucked into black-leather riding boots. Her face remained in shadow, but Carmilla didn’t need to see her face to know the person. She smiled, quickly opening the door and stepping as quietly as possible into the hallway. As she moved to embrace the woman, she stepped further back into the shadows, shying away from Carmilla’s touch. Carmilla’s happiness quickly turned to wariness and fear – why would she, of all people, shy away from Carmilla’s touch?

“I’m sorry, I just…I can’t have your smell on me right now. Mother would know.”

Carmilla stilled. Mother…then this wasn’t a social call. Carmilla straightened up and stared at the woman in the shadows, willing herself not to sound as hurt as she felt.

“At least step into the light so I can see you? Please…I haven’t seen you in so long.”

The young woman paused for a second, then stepped forward until the one light in the hallway illuminated her delicate features. Two icy-blue eyes stared at Carmilla above a small, slightly-crooked nose (“too many fights” during her teenaged years, she’d always said…Carmilla had never asked more, just admired the crooked little twist). Her rosy lips twitched into a quirky little smile, as if in silent laughter, that always made Carmilla smile in return. Razor sharp cheekbones tapering to a diamond cut jaw finished the effect of a portrait come to life, complete down to the creamy skin Carmilla knew was not given justice by the lights used in the dorm.

But something else marred the woman’s beauty this night as well; a sharp cut from just shy of her nose to the far side of her right cheek showed signs of recent bleeding, and bruises blossomed from her left eye down across her throat and into her collarbone. One of the bruises clearly showed finger prints, as if someone had grabbed the woman by the throat and held her against a wall. Carmilla took a hissing breath in and tried to control her anger, one hand involuntarily reaching out to touch her.

“Layni…what in Mother’s name happened to you?”

The other woman smiled that quirky smile again, but this time Carmilla saw the pain it caused as the cut stretched with the smile. She gently avoided Carmilla’s outstretched hand, moving further into the light but staying just out of Carmilla’s reach. Layni dropped her eyes and sighed.

“Will happened. Didn’t you wonder why he’s not been seen for several days around campus?”

“I heard rumors about partying too hard with the Zetas, but figured he was just trying to avoid me. He did that… ALL of that to you?”

“Yes, but – to be completely honest, he looks far worse…”

Carmilla smiled and stifled a laugh; she could imagine what Will looked like if Layni’d gotten her hands on him – smashed hamburger would be beautiful in comparison. Layni raised her eyes and smiled, a more genuine smile this time, relaxing just slightly.

“God it’s been so long since I’ve seen you…I won’t ask how you’ve been, because I’ve heard the rumors and talk filtering back, but … I needed to see you for myself. I have to ask…are you —?”

She stopped, her eyebrow raised in a question Carmilla knew she didn’t want to ask. The cold wash of regret and guilt flooded through her chest as she remembered the last time she and Layni had met, and parted. 50 years…what a party that had been! She pushed the memories away and focused on the unfinished question, swiping a curl of black hair out of her face.

“Yes. I have to protect this one…I just…I have to.”

Layni just stared at her, silently willing her to go on. Carmilla sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her scalp in frustration. All the anger, all the pain, all the stress of the past few weeks finally overwhelmed her and she felt the words pouring out of her like a burst dam.

“She’s special, Lay. From the minute I met her she stood up to me, refused to take shit from anyone, and actually showed that she cared about the missing girls. She’s tough as nails too, brave, not willing to back down – Hell, she took on Will and nearly knocked his windpipe out! I only had to step in when he actually looked like he would bite her. She’s one of the strongest and most courageous women I’ve ever met – and the only one since you who’s stood up for herself against me or anyone else.”

She stopped, realizing how much she’d gushed. She felt drained, but amazingly better – she’d needed someone to talk to for a long time, and wished she’d known Layni was on campus earlier. Layni still hadn’t said a word, but the smile had changed from a partial smirk to a genuine, soft, caring smile. Carmilla sighed and leaned against the wall next to the door, closing her eyes.

“I don’t know what this is, Lay, but I know that, whatever else happens, she cannot fall into Mother’s hands. And I can’t send her away to a “safety” school, she’s not that kind of woman. She won’t run away from danger - instead, she runs toward it. She feels like she has to save the school or go down trying.”

“Sounds like someone I once knew…”

Carmilla opened one eye and scowled half-heartedly at Layni’s sharp-toothed grin. Layni sighed and tilted her head to one side, as if weighing something in her mind.

“Okay.”

“Okay what?” Carmilla opened both eyes and turned a puzzled look on her longtime-friend. Layni took a deep breath and dropped her arms to her side, staring Carmilla directly in the eye, which had always disconcerted the older woman. Carmilla was afraid of nothing, but the deep blue of Layni’s eyes always hypnotized her into thinking she was drifting on the ocean. She shook herself out of that reverie and met the gaze as solidly as she could.

“Okay – I’ll run interference with Mother, give you a little breathing room to do what you need to do.”

Carmilla was stunned. Was Layni actually suggesting…?

“You’d put yourself in the way of her wrath, for me and a girl you’ve never even met?”

“Yes. If she’s half as amazing as you say she is, then you’re going to need her to take Mother down. And dammit, someone needs to.”

Layni took a step forward and put her hand on Carmilla’s arm. Carmilla shivered – Layni was taking her scent, but it was more than that; the last time they’d seen each other, right before Mother shipped Carmilla back off to Silas, Layni had lain her hand on Carmilla’s arm just like this, with a whispered promise in her ear. Carmilla could still feel the ghost of those words on her ear. She kept her gaze pinned on Layni’s icy eyes.

“I will do what I can, but promise me you’ll keep yourself as safe as possible until the time comes.”

“I will.” Carmilla reached up with her other hand and clasped Layni’s where it rested on her arm. “Thank you.”

Layni nodded and released the older woman’s arm, stepping back into the shadows.

“I have to go. Be careful, you.”

She smiled that quirky smile once more before disappearing into the shadows of the hallway. In a few moments, all that remained was a whiff of lavender and vanilla, with a hint of menthol, probably to help with the bruising. Carmilla stood in the hallway, staring with eyes unfocused in the dark, thinking about what Layni had just promised. They had a little breathing room, but at what cost? Would she ever see Layni again?

She heard a soft creak behind her as the door opened, and Laura’s half-asleep face peered out into the gloom of the hallway. Carmilla smiled tenderly at the other woman, whose grin back turned into a yawn halfway through.

“I thought I heard you talking to someone…Layna? Elaine? It sounded like you were old friends.”

“Layni. And yes…” Carmilla paused, thinking back through the years and picturing Layni as she’d been when they first met; smiling, happy, laughing, and so full of life. With no clue as to what fate awaited her. “She’s my sister.”


End file.
